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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to use the apple flavoured Baby’s Bliss gripe water because it could be contaminated with a parasite that causes intestinal infection.

The gripe water carries the code 26952V and an expiration date shown as 10/08 (for October 2008).

It is sold as a 4 oz plastic bottle inside a cardboard carton that bears the Baby’s Bliss logo and the product name Gripewater Apple Flavor.

According to FDA information the product label carries the following text:

Baby’s Bliss. Pediatrician Recommended Gripe Water. Apple Flavor.

An herbal supplement used to ease the gas and stomach discomfort often associated with colic, hiccups, and teething.

The product was distributed throughout the US by MOM Enterprises Inc of San Rafael, California. The company has issued a voluntary recall from distribution chains and retail outlets. The product was also sold worldwide over the internet.

The recall and warning follows laboratory confirmed tests in August on a 6 week baby in Minnesota that proved positive for cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes intestinal infections.

The most common symptoms of infection by cryptosporidium are: watery diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, stomach pains and cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting.

They generally appear between two and ten days after the parasite enters the body and last up to two weeks.

Most healthy people recover without treatment, but the infection can be life-threatening for certain people like pregnant women, babies and children who can become seriously ill from dehydration due to diarrhea. People with weakened immune systems are also at risk.

If your baby or child has recently drunk Baby’s Bliss Gripewater, Apple Flavor and has any of these symptoms you should take them to see a doctor at once.

If your baby or child has recently drunk the product but is not showing any symptoms, you should monitor them very closely, especially for any sign that diarrhea could be developing.

MOM Enterprises said it is offering full refunds on Apple Flavored Baby’s Bliss Gripewater.

The company and the FDA are currently investigating the cause of the contamination.

Consumers can call the FDA on 1-888-723-3366 or the company on 1-877-457-4955